


Forever

by thepilot



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Historical, Getting Together, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mutual Pining, Smut, Temporary Angst, Vampires, feelings and smut, implied death? but we already know they're vampires, implied suicidal thoughts, mild violence, no one actually "dies"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-01-23 10:13:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12505068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepilot/pseuds/thepilot
Summary: The man’s eyes fluttered open, his gaze penetrating Bodhi’s soul and his slow, sweet smile causing Bodhi’s breath to stutter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story evolved from a Day 1 prompt I filled, and was continued as an attempt to fulfill the Day 4 prompt of "I always have the best conversations with you at your grave." Several days and pages later, I've finished part 1 of the prequel. I am drawing from Anne Rice's vampire lore.  
> I attempted to do some research to try and make this historically accurate, but decided to leave it more vague and less than accurate. The hierarchy and running of the ship were not properly followed for plot's sake.  
> The setting is around the 1300s-1400s as I wanted a larger vessel than was common prior to the decades earlier.  
> Bodhi is the young captain of a merchant vessel he doesn't realize is actually conducting a raid on the coast of Spain.  
> Oh! Also, quick note about the travel time from Damascus (which was a random point of reference for the starting Port) to Spain: I calculated that it took around 7 or 8 days. If someone could tell me the actual travel time of a large merchant ship traveling across the Mediterranean, I'd appreciate it.

It was rare that such a young man could possess the skill and prowess to command a merchant ship at such a young age, but at 23, Bodhi had been appointed Captain. His most recent assignment under his new superiors (the ones who owned the massive ship), was a journey across the Mediterranean Sea to the Costa del Sol in Spain for a rather large, undisclosed trading deal.

The weather was formidable, and on their fourth night at sea, a ferocious wave sent the helmsmen overboard. Bodhi effortlessly took up his position before the second helmsman was summoned, and he did all he could to keep his callused hands on the ship’s wheel. Tired, exhausted, and soaked, Bodhi sought the refuge of his solitary cabin as dawn finally approached. With the helmsmen gone, Bodhi opted to helm the ship during the day, maintaining all his regular responsibilities at the ship’s wheel. After ten days of turbulent seas, they finally made port as the moon was at its peak. Bodhi was fast asleep, but was drawn from his slumber by a vulgar commotion.

The screams and cries of men, women and children being ushered on to the ship drew the Captain from his cabin, confusion and repulsion stamped on his face. The newly captured were pushed and prodded and forced below deck like cattle being moved from one pasture to another. Bodhi screamed at the crewmen, but he was powerless. The crewmen were not ultimately under his control but rather the ship’s owners, and Bodhi could do nothing but retreat to his cabin as they left port, tears brimming soft brown eyes in empathy and rage. It was done, they were now transporting prisoners. He’d been deceived. Bodhi was now a captive, too. A slave of duty.

As the night wore into the day, and the day wore into the night, the whimpers and shrieks of the captives decreased, the captured people knowing and understanding that there was no going home. The helmsman shared a pained look with Bodhi as he took over the wheel for the night. It seemed Bodhi was at least not the only one aboard the ship that was upset with the situation.

With an aching in his heart, Bodhi slunk back to his cabin, but as his tired fingers wrapped around the cold brass knob of his cabin door, a loud yelling erupted below deck. With hesitant steps and a pit in his stomach, he approached the hatch. Cautiously, Bodhi descended the steps that led to the hold, and stood on one of the last steps, transfixed. Rows upon rows of desperate souls clung to one another, chains linking them together. But amidst the helpless, a young man, about his own age, yelled in another language to one of the crewmen. A fire burned with ferocity in the man’s words, but they had no effect on the crewmen on duty to guard the new prisoners. The man was covered in cuts and bruises, primarily at his wrists and ankles where he was shackled, the raw flesh creeping above cold steel. His disheveled brown hair hung in layers to his neck, and stubble donned his sharp chin. Suddenly, the man locked eyes with Bodhi, and he could feel his heart stop as their eyes seemed to connect several lives already lived together. Returning his gaze to his captors, he lurched forward, but his shackles and chains prevented him from moving far.

“What’s going on?” Bodhi demanded, suddenly finding strength in his voice. “You bring these people aboard, without even telling me, I should at least know what this commotion is about. I was trying to sleep.” It seemed that the man’s passion had turned Bodhi into a skilled liar.  
  
One of the wicked crewmen stepped forward, prodding the man in the back, causing him to drop to his knees. “He says he is also a captain, and that he should be treated with respect.”  


Bodhi stepped down off the ladder, walking towards the man now hunched over on his hands and knees. The man looked up into his eyes, and Bodhi saw eternity. He wondered if the man saw the same things. He swallowed hard before beginning his pantomime. Bodhi gestured to himself, then gestured widely at the ship, and then made a motion as though he were steering the ship. The man nodded desperately, pointing to himself and then to Bodhi, and also making a steering motion.

Bodhi was supposed to meet this man. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew. So he made up the best lie he could, suddenly pretending he was just as immoral as his crew. He grabbed up the chains restraining the man, and forced him to his feet, drawing him in close. The man looked at Bodhi in shock as Bodhi used the shackles to pull the man against him. “If he is a captain, as he says, then he should stay in the Captain’s quarters,” Bodhi sneered.

A few of his crewmen smirked in understanding.

“Release him. I want to treat him with the respect he deserves.” It was said in an attempt to be ironic, but Bodhi was sincere.

Buying into his game, the locks that kept the man bound were clicked opened, and his chains were placed in Bodhi’s hands along with the master key. He pressed and shoved the man up the ladder as knowing laughter emanated from his crew. Bodhi kept up the game, trying to keep his gestures deceptively forceful, finally making it to his cabin. For good measure, he pushed the man inside, who stumbled and struggled to remain upright. As soon as Bodhi closed the door behind him, the man lunged at Bodhi, attempting to use his chains as a weapon. Bodhi ducked behind the small table in the center of the room, crying for the man to stop, but the man was too full of rage.

In one calculated move, Bodhi dashed to his bedside and retrieved a mug of water just in time to shove it in the face of his assailant, screwing his eyes tight to the pain he was about to be inflicted. The man paused, looking at the cup being offered him. Bodhi hesitantly opened his eyes and when he saw the thirst in the man’s eyes, he lowered the cup to be placed in his hands nodding and smiling. For the second time, the man looked at Bodhi in confusion. Bodhi didn’t know when the last time was that the man had been fed, but as he began gulping the water down with a rattle of chains, Bodhi realized it must have been before they’d been brought aboard the ship.

Bodhi quickly rummaged through all the food he had in his cabin: some bread, some dried meat, and even some dried fruit. He slowly approached the man and withdrew the master key, making an attempt to explain that if the man were to try and run away, the men outside would kill him. The man nodded, and Bodhi let the shackles fall to the floor. He offered all of his food to the man, and bade him sit down to eat. As the man devoured the food, Bodhi began searching for any balms or ointments he had to treat the raw flesh the man had around his wrists and ankles from the shackles.

Bodhi patiently waited for the man to finish eating, and pointed to the small bottles he had, then to the man’s wrists. The man nodded and Bodhi sat in the chair beside him. Bodhi carefully took one of the man’s hands into his own, and began rubbing the ointment into his damaged skin. He hissed in a breath at first, but as Bodhi began working his fingers across the raw flesh, he relaxed. The man smiled, his eyes riveted on Bodhi, always trying to make eye contact. Bodhi timidly missed the man’s gaze, but his face still flushed as he switched to working on the man’s other wrist. As Bodhi began rubbing the sores on the man’s ankles, a soft moan escaped the man’s lips. Bodhi wasn’t sure if the guttural noise was from the massaging or the food the man was now munching on, but if possible, Bodhi’s face had turned an even darker shade of red.

When Bodhi finished, he set the bottles on his bedside table and gestured at the man and to the bed; the man looked horrified. Bodhi felt a lump rise in his throat. After all he’d done, the man now thought that Bodhi expected to be repaid. A flurry of long messy hair swished from side to side as Bodhi shook his head. He made a fake snoring sound and pointed at the bed then at the man, but the man just sat transfixed. Bodhi repeated his gesture once more. The man smiled and shook his head now, pointing at the bed and then Bodhi and replicating the snoring sound. Bodhi smiled and pointed at the man once more, and made the snoring sound as loud as he could, but ended up choking and coughing. They both erupted in laughter, Bodhi now coughing and laughing. Still clearing his throat, Bodhi gestured to the only window in the room and the mass of pillows and blankets beneath it, smiling and nodding. The man seemed to finally realize that not only did Bodhi want him to take the bed, but that Bodhi always slept by the window. He nodded, tears brimming his eyes as he made his way to the proffered bed. Bodhi sank down on his mess of pillows, wrapping himself up in his many blankets. Once he was satisfactorily tucked in, he said goodnight in his own tongue. The man seemed to say the same thing in his own language, and Bodhi soon drifted off to sleep knowing that if he couldn’t save everyone, he could at least save one person.

A pounding fist on the cabin door caused a set of large brown eyes to flicker open: breakfast, his wakeup call. Bodhi scrambled out of bed and saw that his new friend was still sleeping. Thinking quickly, Bodhi stripped some of his layers off, scattering some of his blankets on the floor and pulling his shirt off to sling over a chair. He messed up his hair as he opened the door to receive his breakfast tray. For the ship’s Captain, it seemed that meals and this cabin were the only decencies he was offered. And also his new “slave.”

“Good morning Captain. Slept well, I see,” the man said, taking note of the strewn clothes and man slumbering in his bed.

“There wasn’t much sleeping. Thank you,” Bodhi said, taking his breakfast tray. The man smirked and took one last look at the sleeping man in his bed.

Bodhi set down the tray as quietly as he could, and made up a plate of food for the man and for himself. Gently he knelt by the bed and rubbed the man’s shoulder, speaking to him even though he knew he couldn’t understand.

“It’s time to get up. I’ve got breakfast for you.”

The man’s eyes fluttered open, his gaze penetrating Bodhi’s soul and his slow, sweet smile causing Bodhi’s breath to stutter. An invisible magnet seemed to be pulling them closer until Bodhi quickly stood up and cleared his throat, pointing to the table. The man bolted from the bed past Bodhi, sitting excitedly at the table. The man had already devoured a few mouthfuls before the flustered Bodhi had even sat down, smiling sheepishly. When the man finished, he seemed to calm down from the rush of being able to eat, and just stared at Bodhi. Bodhi kept his eyes fixed to his plate, but the few times he met the man’s gaze, he felt shy and looked down again. When Bodhi finally finished, the man managed to catch his eye once more.

“Cassian,” he said, pointing to himself.

Bodhi understood instantly.

“Bodhi,” he replied, pointing at himself excitedly. They both smiled. Bodhi felt a strange sense of belonging again. It took a moment of the man staring at Bodhi and then looking down and back up, then wagging his eyebrows for him to finally notice that he was sitting at the table half naked. He anxiously grabbed his top, all too aware of the man watching him put it on. He realized that Cassian was still in the mess of clothing he’d been in since his capture, and quickly grabbed something from his own trunk for Cassian to wear. He handed him a bundle, and Cassian nodded in understanding. The man watched, silently, as Bodhi prepared for the day. Just before Bodhi left, he pointed to the door, then the abandoned shackles, then the door, indicating those beyond that would do Cassian harm. He nodded in agreement, and Bodhi left the room with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

By the fourth day of sharing the cabin, Bodhi and Cassian had developed a routine. Each morning they would exchange words in their languages to each other over breakfast. Bodhi would leave, and when he returned for dinner, he would find Cassian amongst Bodhi’s pillows beside the window, leafing through Bodhi’s books, staring at the pictures. Cassian would always excitedly show Bodhi a picture he was particularly taken with that he had saved, and Bodhi would attempt to point out some words that helped to explain the situation. Cassian would repeat the words back, and then say them in his own language. They’d eat dinner, and then Bodhi would help tend to Cassian’s wounds, all the while exchanging more and more words.

On the sixth day, they encountered a storm. Cassian sat furiously tucked up in bed as Bodhi braved the weather on deck, trying to navigate the turbulent seas. Cassian wanted to help. He too was a captain, and being shut away in the cabin day in and day out had been obviously frustrating for Cassian, though he continually chose frustration over death. When Bodhi had refused Cassian’s pantomime of an offer to help steer the ship through the storm, they’d parted over a frenzied dispute articulated in two different languages and finished with a slammed door and a plate smashing against it.

The storm lingered on throughout the day and in to the early evening, but finally, it seemed that the storm had let up. Bodhi wrapped water-shriveled fingers around the door and hesitantly pushed it open, a trail of water following behind. Cassian darted across the room and embraced Bodhi, quivering and sobbing. He knew crewmen went overboard in storms like these: he’d lost many, as had Bodhi.

The two, now drenched equally from the embrace, found each other’s nervous searching eyes. Fingertips slowly painted invisible lines and all breath was cut short by hesitant mouths finding one another. Passionate kisses gave way to frenzied motions, and soon neither of them was burdened by their soaking clothes. For the first time since being appointed Captain of the ship, Bodhi spent the night in his own bed.

The seventh day dawned bright and shining. The morning was spent with lazy kisses and caresses, with words exchanged that described their bodies and actions. When breakfast came, Bodhi didn’t have to pretend he had spent the night love-making.

As the last day was thrust upon them (port had been spotted), Bodhi and Cassian decided to abandon the ship before the rest of the crew. Bodhi had earned enough from his previous journeys that he didn’t need to collect payment for his delivered cargo: he didn’t want it, either. He’d been able to decipher from Cassian that while he had indeed been captured, he had only just docked with his own ship, and had no family in that small port town. Bodhi knew he had all the family he needed with Cassian now.

Cassian spent the day packing up all of Bodhi’s belongings into his trunk while Bodhi helped prepare the ship for port. The anchor was dropped just as the sun was setting. They devised a plan to leave the ship and make their way to port themselves by way of stolen life boat by the moon’s full glow.

The plan, surprisingly, went off without any error, and they made their way peacefully to port. That night, they traveled as far from the sea as they could, lest anyone spot them. Bodhi was troubled and sad that he couldn’t help any of the enslaved, but every time Cassian smiled, he was thrilled by the new life we would be living: they would find another time to save lives.

After a few days of travel mixed with rest, they made their way on foot to the next port town, finding a meager Inn to stay at while they looked for temporary employment. Every extra bit of money they received was a step towards an easier journey together: they were going to travel to England, no matter how long it took, and find a place to live along the coast.

It took 5 months and some days for them to reach England, but they managed. Content and happy and together, they bought a small cottage beside the ocean. They’d found a small fishing town to live in, and with their skills, though with a new language barrier, they were able to keep each other and the sea. They worked on separate ships, departing early in the morning and returning in the late afternoon. It seemed like they were living the life they imagined.


	3. Chapter 3

After two years of domestic bliss, Bodhi’s life was shattered: Cassian’s ship never returned. Bodhi had no way of knowing the ship never made it back to port until he’d returned himself, and it seemed like no one knew what had happened. Pirates, some villagers suggested. Bodhi had hope the ship was just delayed. He bundled in extra blankets and waited, patiently, on the cliffs that overlooked the sea. As the sun set, Bodhi set himself up to keep watch on the horizon, but when morning came, Bodhi knew Cassian was truly gone.

He was broken and hollow. He wasn’t sure when he’d started crying, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t work that day, but not wanting to sleep in bed alone, stayed out on the cliffs, withdrawn and suddenly small and alone, watching waves crash on the beach below.

The next morning, he resolved to return to work. Mourning Cassian wouldn’t bring him back. Cassian would have wanted to die at sea, and maybe that was the fate that awaited Bodhi, too. Indeed, he hoped it did. He worked and worked, but all he could think about was his lost lover. On his one and only day off that week, he combed the cliff side for an appropriate headstone. He would never get Cassian back, but he could at least give himself comfort by having something that represented Cassian to talk to. Dragging a smooth rock back to their cottage, he etched Cassian’s name into the stone, and placed it along the cliff edge.

Days passed, then weeks, then months, and finally a year. On the anniversary of Cassian’s death, Bodhi visited the solemn headstone, a flood of words escaping his trembling lips. As the sun danced into the horizon, Bodhi decided to have a drink at the pub in honor of Cassian. He recognized some of the patrons as other sailors or merchants, and nodded tersely as he sat by himself, finding comfort in the commotion around him. He nursed his drink for a time, content to not be alone this night. A second drink was placed on his table: a gesture from a friend, he was told. Bodhi was completely unaware that that someone had been watching Bodhi all night. The drinks came as easy as drops of rain, one after the other. As the night wore on and the pub emptied, Bodhi felt sick. He needed his bed. With one final chug he slammed his mug onto the table and rose, not feeling his legs beneath him. He barely made it to the door, groping the air and tripping over his own feet. Somehow the intoxicated man made his way back to his cottage, but he wasn’t alone; Bodhi was too drunk to realize that as he stumbled home, someone was right behind him.

Bodhi pushed his way through his door, but just as he was about to collapse on his bed, a hand, cold and strong, kept him from seeking his mattress. He was whipped around to stare at piercing eyes, cold and forbidding, and ebony locks the cascaded down to frame an angular face.

“I’ve been watching you, pretty one,” a voice sneered. “You’ve lost your lover. You’re waiting, hoping, praying that the sea takes you so that you can join him.”

Bodhi was stunned, but whimpered, tears brimming his eyes.

“I’m here to give you what you wish, dear one. Your death will be a victory for us both.”

The creature flung Bodhi on the bed. He knew it was wrong, he knew he should fight, but the alcohol hindered his movements and strength. Cold hands began caressing Bodhi’s body, and a mouth, cold and harsh pressed against his neck. He felt a sharp pain for an instant, but soon felt himself slipping from the world, losing himself in the deadly kiss. Suddenly, just as Bodhi felt he was about to leave this world, the creature withdrew.

“Your lover. I know him. This is not right. I am in great debt to him, I cannot do this,” the creature said in panic. “He’s been too scared to return to you, but I must give you back to him. Do you want to see him again?”

“Yes,” Bodhi whispered, the words escaping in a wispy voice, his body heavy and his heart slow.

“You’ll be together. Forever. Is that what you wish?”

“Yes,” he said once more.

Through lidded eyes Bodhi watched the creature bite its own wrist, drawing blood. It forced the dripping wrist to Bodhi’s mouth.

“Drink,” it said softly, and Bodhi complied, finding his strength return in a desperate hunger for more.

Bodhi caught a glimpse into the creature’s life. Elpida, the creature, grew up in a fishing village herself in Greece long, long ago. She’d been the daughter of a big family. They were happy and content, until a deadly illness swept through their entire village. She’d been the last to survive, but as she lay dying, she’d been transformed herself. As the images passed through Bodhi’s mind, the memories seemed to catapult him from the distant past to the near present.

He saw the sea from the deck of a ship, but soon the ship Elpida was on was consumed in flames. People were screaming, some jumping from the ship, and as the blaze erupted and engulfed more of the ship, she was struck with a burning beam. A man heaved the beam off, and helped bring Elpida to her feet. Bodhi realized that the man was Cassian, but he looked different somehow. He looked otherworldly. Like Elpida. He grabbed her by the waist and flung the both of them off the ship, swimming effortlessly to land.

Cassian spent the night by Elpida’s side on the shore, watching the burning ship. Cassian talked of nothing but Bodhi. Cassian was ashamed of what he’d become. He explained the day his ship never returned. A freak accident had caused their fishing boat to veer off course, and they’d found themselves lost at sea. They survived for days off of the fish they caught, and finally they made it to shore. The crew wandered the beach until they came to a hollow stone house, covered with moss and plants. The weather and age had left nothing more than a shell of stones and an underground root cellar, long crumbled in. They slept the night there, but Cassian was stolen from his slumber and given the dark gift. Cassian’s maker, as it turned out, had been leisurely exploring the coast line and was using the abandoned cellar as refuge during the day. Cassian was a long welcomed prize for his maker and was transformed reluctantly, not wanting to die for fear of never seeing Bodhi again. As Cassian learned the ways of the dark gift, he felt more like a monster, something no longer worthy of Bodhi. After somber months spent under the tutelage of his maker, he begged to leave. Somehow, his passion had granted him release. He began traveling the seas once more, the span of the ocean the only comfort he could find. He fed off of rats, and the occasional human that he stalked and studied: he was taught not to take the life of innocents. He ended up on the ship Elpida was on, and the rest of the story came to a conclusion just as Elpida began pulling her wrist away from Bodhi.

Bodhi looked at his maker with sharp eyes that saw every miniscule detail of her flesh. He felt his entire body shift, as if he was weightless yet grounded. Power and strength seemed to ripple through his every limb. A new hunger was gnawing at his senses, but now he also had hope, a new hope that he could be reunited with Cassian. Elpida took him through everything that happened those next moments, and vowed to stay with Bodhi until he found Cassian.

It took 159 years, 5 months and 4 days.

=================================================================

 

“What do you mean you haven’t seen him in a fortnight?” Cassian hissed, threateningly baring his teeth as he shoved Elpida against the side of the stone Parisian building with such force a distinct crunch could be heard. The woman looked truly upset, but there was no escaping Cassian’s rage.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know. We were walking together, enjoying the festival, and he took off after a noise he heard. I’ve been looking for him every minute I’ve been awake. But,” her voice dropped low, her features wrinkling in concern. “There are others here, Cassian.”

Cassian loosened his hold and let Elpida slide down to allow her feet to touch cobblestone once more. She feebly adjusted her doublet and cape, her feminine form well concealed by the masculine clothes she wore.

“Others? Elpida, how could you let this happen?” Cassian roared.

Elpida shook her head, wiping away a blood tear. “It’s not unlike him to wander. He always…he thinks he hears or sees something that could lead him to you, and he goes looking. But he always comes back. This…I…I…shouldn’t have brought him here. But we heard word of one traveling near here that fit your description and it was the best lead we’d had in years…”

Cassian sighed, running a hand through his long hair. “Just take me to where you last saw him?”

“Yes, of course,” Elpida said, immediately leading the way for Cassian to follow.

Upon finding Elpida, Cassian had been confronted with a myriad of emotions. Shock and horror that Elpida had given Bodhi the Dark Gift, but relief that Cassian had not lost him after all. Longing  and hope that he would be reunited with his lover, and then anger upon discovering he hadn’t been seen or heard from in weeks.

“Here,” Elpida pointed. “We were right here.” Several empty stands lined the marketplace, presently closed for the night.

“Did he say what the noise was?”

“No. He seemed pleasantly excited. I tried to follow him, but there was a festival going on. There were too many mortals for me to track him.”

Cassian paused suddenly, grabbing Elpida’s cold hand. “We’re not alone,” he whispered.

One by one, cloaked figure after cloaked figure emerged from the shadows. To the left, right, even some above, balanced precariously on whatever solid surfaces their feet could find.

“Please,” Cassian started, doing his best to keep the panic out of his voice. “I’m looking for my…I’m looking for one who goes by ‘Bodhi.’” Elpida pulled herself close to Cassian as the figures encircled them.

“We’d be more than happy to bring you to him,” a voice said in a singsong manner.

“If he’s not already gone!” another voice interjected with amusement. A laughter exploded amongst them.

Without warning, cold, rough hands clamped on to Cassian and Elpida’s wrists, forcing them behind their backs as they were pushed through the streets towards a towering stone building, decrepit and forbidding and ancient. They were forced down spiral stairs and through a winding catacomb, finally reaching some sort of prison. Several cloaked figures heaved the metal bars open, pushing Cassian and Elpida inside. The bars were dropped down, and the figures pressed their faces against the bars.

“He has refused to join us and so he has been left to die. You may convince him otherwise. If you achieve this, all three of you will be released. If you do not convince him, death awaits you all.” Several voices cackled as they walked away, leaving Elpida and Cassian alone. More metal bars separated each cell from the next. Cassian knew instantly that they were alone.

“Do you think they’re going to bring him to us?” Elpida asked, taking up a position against the far wall.

“I’ve heard of covens like these before. If they want us to play their game, they will bring him. But he’ll have been well-tortured or…” Cassian’s voice trailed off, refusing to finish his thought.

Cassian joined Elpida against the wall, embracing her as he released a flood of emotions.

“I never dreamed…I thought I’d lost him all those years ago…I should’ve gone back for him…I…” Cassian succumbed to the tears that had been nipping at his eyes, his body heaving with his sobs.

“You’ll see him again,” Elpida said, stroking Cassian’s hair.

“I hope so,” Cassian’s voice trailed as he and Elpida were taken over by slumber.

=======================

Cassian and Elpida woke of their own accord, still entangled in one another’s arms.

“I would’ve thought they’d have come by now, at least to torture us,” Cassian said, rising to pace the room.

“Maybe this is the torture,” Elpida offered, drawing her knees to her chest.

“The first time I met Bodhi, I was brought aboard his ship as a prisoner. I was throwing a violent fit, and he came to see what the commotion was, and I knew. I knew the instant we locked eyes that we were meant to be…I saw everything in his eyes that first time…he, he pretended to want me as a personal prize to free me, and I believed him. But when we were out of sight, he did nothing but offer me kindness…We didn’t even speak the same language…” Cassian rested his forehead against the outer bars, letting his tears drop onto the earthen ground.  
  
“I know, Cassian. That’s why, when I realized who he was, I knew I had to save him. Not a day went by of us traveling together he didn’t mention at least your name. He used to point out things that reminded him of you. Or he’d tell me a story about you. You’ll be together again, Cassian. We’ve come so far. We’ll find him.”

“Cass…Cass…Cassiah…Cassian…” a voice trailed slowly, barely audible, lingering on the “n.” Elpida stood immediately, pressing her face to the bars that led to the cell next to theirs. Cassian turned slowly, first meeting Elpida’s eyes.

“Cassiah…Cassian…” the voice said again. _Called_ again. Cassian was instantly beside Elpida, peering into the other cell. There, leaning against the wall, was the shell of the man Bodhi had once been. His skin was pale and taught to his bones, his hair tangled about his face, and his clothing tattered and torn.

“Bodhi!” Cassian squeaked out. Bodhi’s eyes were glazed and distant, but his mouth worked at words he desperately sought to release.

“Cass…” he tried again.

“He needs to feed, Cassian. They’ve been depriving him. It’s the worst torture they can give someone so young in the gift.”

Cassian started trying to wiggle the bars, but they were solidly in place.

“Bodhi. Bodhi please,” Cassian begged, trying to reach through the bars. “Bodhi, look up. I’m here. I’m here. It’s Cassian. Please, look up. I need you to take my wrist. Please, please look up.”

Bodhi kept his gaze focused forward.

“Bodhi, we’re both here. Me and Cassian, Bodhi. He’s here. He’s right here, Bodhi. Cassian is here.”

Long eyelashes fluttered up and down before a pair of large brown eyes finally locked with Cassian.

“Cassiah…Cass…”

Cassian smiled, pushing his wrist further through the bar as he twisted his body.

“Drink, Bodhi. Please, you need to. Please, you can do it. It’s not far. Please…” Cassian whimpered. They were so close. Bodhi shuffled closer to the bar, his movements slow and pathetic.

“Cass…” Bodhi said once more, finally reaching the wrist offered to him. Bodhi raised a frail hand to take the offered wrist, and dropped his mouth to the exposed veins there. A soft moan escaped the mouth of the giver and recipient simultaneously, long fangs penetrating flesh.

“Yes love, take as much as you need,” Cassian’s voice crooned as Bodhi pulled himself closer to the bars and to Cassian. He seemed to be gaining strength as he drew on Cassian’s veins harder, his body now rocking with the gulps. Cassian could feel himself drifting away just as Bodhi withdrew his teeth, his lips red with the blood recently gathered there. Bodhi met Cassian’s eyes and it was like the first time all over.

“It’s you! It’s really-you’re Cassian!” Bodhi giggled as he pushed his body against the bars to wrap his arms around Cassian as best he could. His strength was not whole, but repaired. He didn’t appear as gaunt, and a slight flush spread across his cheeks.

“And you’re really Bodhi!” Cassian chuckled in response. They withdrew just enough to finally look at one another, entwining their fingers as their foreheads touched. Their smirks turned to full grins until they were both laughing against one another.

“I thought you were dead!”

“I thought _you_ were dead!”

“You are both dead, you know,” Elpida offered.

“Mostly. But I’ve never felt more _alive_ ,” Cassian said, running a hand through Bodhi’s hair, who returned the gesture.

“Me either. But we’re in so much danger, lover. This coven. They’re not stable, Cassian. They think our kind should hold the monopoly on human life, and seek to destroy those who don’t join them. Two of their new fledglings initially lured me away from Elpida. Then there whole coven emerged to capture me.”

“They told us that if we didn’t convince you to join them, they’d destroy us all. There’s only three of us. We could never escape here,” Elpida said, looking at the reunited lovers sadly.

“We can be smarter than them,” Bodhi said, taking up Cassian’s hand to kiss his knuckles. “I know we can. I’ve been thinking about how to get out of here, and I think I’ve got a plan.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassian, Bodhi and Elpida have formulated a plan and await the next night to carry it through. But will they need that plan the next night? Or will something else happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elpida means hope.  
> And if you haven't already guessed, Elpida is Jyn. She just...hasn't changed her name yet. She'll come to change her name a lot over the centuries.

The reunited eternal duo woke up with a start, their cold fingers still linked while their hands reached through the bars of the cell to obtain maximum contact. Elpida had entered her slumber with her head resting on Cassian’s knee, and she stirred with them. As their preternatural eyes adjusted to the dim light in the fetid cell, the distinct odor of burning timber mingled with flesh crept in their cells.

Bodhi sat up in alarm, tightening his grip on Cassian. “I hear screaming...”

“Me too,” Elpida added, pushing herself to an upright position. She ran to the heavy cell door, trying to peep out through cracks.

“Someone has set this place on fire. Someone seeking to destroy the coven.” Her voice was a mixture of relief and doom.

Bodhi pulled Cassian’s knuckle up to his face and gently rubbed his cheek against it. “If we die here, I’m glad we die together.”

“Me too, love,” Cassian replied.

Elpida was still crouched below the door. “There’s two figures coming this way. They’re bearing torches. We will either burn here, or be rescued.”

“Rescued,” a gruff voice called out to them. Bodhi and Cassian stood simultaneously, poised and ready to strike if necessary. Cautiously, and with much trepidation, Elpida backed from the door, waiting for it to open.

For a brief moment, the air was filled with silence and the smell of oil burning on wood before the cell door swung open.

A harsh, well-built man with long braided hair and scowling predator eyes scanned the cell, his silken robes looking out of place in a country filled with tunics and tights. Beside him, equally out of place in dress, was a gentler man with a soft face and closely cropped hair, his piercing blue eyes landing on Bodhi.

“I’ll get the other,” the first man said, walking with his torch poised like a weapon to Bodhi’s cell chamber. Bodhi exchanged a look with Cassian as they both took hesitant steps towards their respective open doors, Elpida clutching to Cassian’s side.

“We are not going to burn you, I assure you,” the second man said, smiling, his fangs poking out more like a pleased cat than an aggressive wolf, gesturing the three out into the hallway.

As soon as Bodhi and Cassian were out of their cells, they embraced, enthusiastic relief at their ability to connect physically. The two rescuers exchanged a look as Elpida left Cassian to his long awaited treasure.

“They have been separated,” she responded to their looks with a broad grin. “Nearly 200 years. Cassian and I were captured by this coven,” Elpida said, pointing at Cassian, “only to discover my fledgling (whom I had been traveling with until we had been separated), Bodhi, had been, too. But they were keeping the drink from him. I don’t know how much longer he would have lasted. How long we all would have lasted. And our plan to escape was not well-planned.”

“It is lucky we decided to look down here, then,” the first man said.

“Yes. We are forever in your debt,” Bodhi said, finally breaking away from his blissful embrace.

The small group started moving out of the dank catacombs, the torches from the rescuers lighting the way. Burning flesh wafted up from the ragged piles that were once the members that made up the coven.

“So you didn’t set this place on fire? How did you manage to take them out so…easily?”

The two men shared a look, then grinned at Elpida.

“We have our ways. We must leave. Stay safe, brothers and sister in the blood. I’m sure we will all meet again,” the pair said, turning away.

“Wait!” Cassian called. “We don’t even know the names of our saviors! Our guardians!”

“We’ll meet again,” the second man said with a sly grin. They continued on out of sight as Bodhi yelled: “Thank you!”

Elpida drew Bodhi into a hug, her soft hands combing his matted hair. “I’m so sorry I lost you and couldn’t protect you. But I am glad we _both_ found you.”

“As am I,” Bodhi said, nuzzling his chin atop her head.

“As am I,” Cassian added, circling his hands around the two.

“I think it’s time for me to leave you two. For now, at least.” The gentle trio broke apart as Elpida stepped aside to gently push the reunited lovers closer to one another.

“I owe you everything, Elpida.” But she only shook her head at Cassian’s words. “No, I owe you. You saved my life, and I nearly killed your beloved. Now you are together once again. We are equal, as far as I am concerned.”

“We’ll see you again, though?” Bodhi asked from Cassian’s shoulder, not daring to break his hold lest Cassian disappear.

“I’m sure. Goodbye, my friends,” she said as she kissed their cheeks and departed from them.

“Goodbye,” two voices said as one, standing side by side and hand in hand as they watched Elpida slip into the night.

“Let’s find a place to seek refuge from the sun, _mi amor_. There are still many hours left to the night. And I do plan to spend them wisely.”

Cassian returned the sly remark with a squeeze. “You do need a change in clothing. I’m sure we can find an inn to tuck into. Let’s go.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bodhi and Cassian are finally, FINALLY reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know Urdu, but I sure as heck tried to get this right. Please, PLEASE let me know if any of it is wrong. Also, Bodhi and Cassian slip between each other's languages.

With the rusty key in the lock, Cassian softly pushed Bodhi against the creaky wooden door, the pressure causing it to pop open. Bodhi couldn’t help but giggle as he felt his partner press a smirk against his neck. Without warning, Cassian scooped Bodhi up in his arms, carrying him effortlessly to the insipid bed, stray goose feathers drifting out to fall on the floor from the impact of a body. Cassian backed away for a moment to stare reverently.

“Not a day went by I didn’t think about you,” he said solemnly.

“Not a night,” Bodhi corrected. Cassian smirked, then a passion seemed to be replaced in his gleeful eyes.

“I thought about when we were together. Everything we did. And what I’d do if we ever met again.”

“And what would you do, _mi amor_?” Bodhi asked, leaning on his elbow with a raised eyebrow.

“Never let you go.”

Bodhi winced as if in pain, but it was the flood of emotions that single sentiment had brought forth that had jolted his expression. Cassian knelt beside the bed, a hand idly stroking Bodhi’s soft, but dusty hair.

“Do you remember the very first time we made love?” Bodhi asked, his head nuzzling the hand that pet him.

“And we did nothing but groan? And I screamed your name and it was the first time I pronounced it correctly?” Cassian said, smirking.

Bodhi chuckled. “Yes, but after. When we just laid in bed as the sun rose. And we did our name game. But we named each other’s body parts.”

Cassian stopped running his fingers through the raven soft hair and maneuvered his hands to work on unbuttoning Bodhi’s dingy doublet. Bodhi just watched with curious eyes as Cassian became all business.

“Sit up,” he gently commanded. Bodhi complied with an unsuspecting kiss as his doublet was removed.

Cassian’s starving eyes scanned new terrain as he ran his hand beneath Bodhi’s undershirt, helping him pull it up and over his head.

“Lay back,” was the command this time, and Bodhi’s head fell upon the overstuffed pillows. Bodhi’s eyes followed his lover’s movements as he wiggled his way to Bodhi’s feet, removing his grungy boots with an unceremonious plop. He crawled back up to Bodhi’s waist and gently began working his fingers around the buttons, pushing his tattered trousers down slowly as Bodhi bucked his hips off the mattress to allow for the removal. Reverence was Cassian’s aim now. He slipped his fingers around the waistband and gently slid his torn stockings down, not concentrating on anything but being worshipful.

He lifted Bodhi’s feet one at a time to slip the stockings off, keeping one foot in his hand.

“ _Paon_ ,” he whispered just before kissing the instep. Bodhi sighed at the word spoken in his native language, but remained quietly observant. Cassian set his foot down and repeated the gesture with the other foot, this time placing delicate kisses across his arch and to his ankle. Bodhi jerked his foot away.

“What?” Cassian asked, looking up at Bodhi’s scrunched up face.

“Tickles.”

“Still? Even this?” Cassian asked, dancing his fingertips along the sole of Bodhi’s foot.

Bodhi snickered, his foot trembling at the touch.

“Yes! Is this intimate or torture teasing?”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry,” Cassain responded, setting Bodhi’s foot down. He paused, running his hand along the shin, then dropped a bit lower to plant a kiss on his knee.

“ _Ghutna_ ” escaped his lips before they were concealed once more with kisses.

He stopped, going back to the other leg and doing the same. Satisfied that he’d repeated the gesture equally, he began working his way up Bodhi’s thigh, his hands placed teasingly on his now quivering hips. But Bodhi kept silent, his eyes speaking enough of his pleasure. Bodhi’s fists were tightened around the cotton of the sheets on the bed, twisting each time a particular brush of Cassian’s lips aroused him further. But they had been waiting for this for so long, and had so long to enjoy it.

Cassian chanced to place kisses along Bodhi’s inner thigh, his mouth getting daringly close but never close enough. He reached the bend of Bodhi’s legs and began the process all over again from the knee up, this time trailing a hand on his hip where his mouth had just previously been. A solemn look darkened Cassian’s eyes as he kissed Bodhi’s cock up and down reverently.

“ _Uzu-i-tanasul,_ ” he whispered between breathy kisses. Bodhi writhed at his touch, hissing in a breath. After a brief devotional time spent between Bodhi’s legs, Cassian moved his kisses slowly up his stomach.

“Hold on. That’s it? That’s all I get?” Bodhi said with feigned indignation.

The corners of Cassian’s mouth turned up in a sinister grin. “What would you have me do there, lover? I’m not going to bite you, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Bodhi’s brows knit together as he wiggled to sit up on his elbows.

“You’re not serious?” Cassian scoffed.

“I’ve thought about it.”

Cassian sighed. “You would.”

The corners of Bodhi’s mouth turned up in crooked grin. “You still know me. And you’ve thought about it, too. Don’t tell me you haven’t.”

Cassian let out another sigh. “Fine. Another time. Please let me go on?”

Bodhi groaned his submission as he plopped back down on the pillow, his hands now obediently tucked behind his head. Cassian resumed his pace and kissed his way up to Bodhi’s pectorals, his teeth carefully tugging and his tongue lapping at his nipples, cautious not to arouse his blood lust and take more than he should in this moment. As Bodhi arched his back to the touch, Cassian stopped his teasing and rested his head instead on the faint thump he felt beneath him.

“ _Dil_ ,” Cassian cooed, his hand now tracing a line up his chest and circling around the place he knew Bodhi’s life source was.

Finally, Cassian kissed his way up Bodhi’s neck and began tugging at Bodhi’s stubble of a beard with his fingers.

“ _Daahri_ ,” he smirked.

“You have one, too,” Bodhi responded. Cassian ran a thumb over Bodhi’s lips and drew in closer to breathe the words into his mouth.

“ _Hon_ t,” he said throatily before their mouth’s met, a deep and passionate kiss made frantic by tongues and soft moans.

“My turn,” Bodhi whined as Cassian lapped at his ear lobe. “And it’s hardly fair that you’re still dressed.”

Their eager hands made quick work of Cassian’s clothes, each article thrown in a different spot in the room. Cassian laid back on the bed, this time Bodhi sitting on his knees between Cassian’s legs. Bodhi remained silent, staring at the form beneath him, his eyes tracing up and down the pristine body. He recognized every line, every curve, their once constant presence still embedded in his memory, brought to the surface with ease. But now his vision was finely tuned, his preternatural eyes finding every vein, every follicle, and each and every line, Gradually Bodhi’s large brown eyes began brimming with tears.

“ _Cariño_ , what’s wrong?”

Bodhi fell forward and collapsed on top of Cassian, his body quivering with sobs.

“I just…I never thought…I didn’t think…I thought you were gone forever!” Bodhi managed through hiccupping breaths.

Cassian kissed Bodhi’s neck quickly before running his hands through his hair.

“Me too,” he said solemnly. “But look at me,” Cassian said, gently tracing a finger under Bodhi’s chin to lift his head so that their eyes met. “We’re together now. We’re together now forever.”

Bodhi seemed to calm at the sentiment, and pecked Cassian’s indulgent lips before they morphed into a smile.

“I know. Can we…can we just lay like this until the morning? I just want to hold you.”

“Why do you think you need to ask me? Of course we can, _mi cielo_ ,” Cassian said, swiping stray hairs out of Bodhi’s face. Bodhi lay his head down to rest on Cassian’s shoulder, his hands combing through his love’s hair as he hummed his contentment.

Hours of verbal silence passed, physical words spoken with soft caresses and gentle lips. As the dawn approached, they strung up whatever extra blankets they had in the dingy windows as they hid themselves from the sun beneath a thick wool blanket. Their bodies succumbed to the stillness of death, each finger twined together and each limb entangled. “ _I love you forever and ever_ ” lingered between their mouths while outside, the sun began kissing the horizon.


End file.
